IHME Women in Health Metrics Spotlight: Dr. Sana Sheikh, Assistant Professor, The Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Can you share any challenges you’ve faced as a woman in this field and how you overcame them?

In South Asia, a woman is a homemaker first and anything else later. On the contrary, the work culture glorifies individuals who work late hours and are always available. Therefore, the biggest challenge was to balance professional and family responsibilities. I got married during my graduation and have two young kids. I completed my doctoral degree along with a job and raising my family. From early on in my career, I set boundaries and communicated them to my seniors and peers. I do not take work back home and do not work on weekends/holidays. In our region, women hesitate to set such rules and try to do all to compete with male peers. It is not a healthy approach for men or women but leads to faster burnout in women. So open communication with your team and realistic expectations from yourself will help you go a long way. 

What advice would you give to young women interested in entering this field?

It has been a gratifying experience for me, and I advise the same to my juniors. The understanding and application of research have become an essential part of health care. There are so many aspects of it, and one can pick and choose what appeals most. It can be mathematical modeling, qualitative interviews, quality improvement work, or conducting lab experiments. It is a vast field that satisfies your curiosity and benefits the world on a larger scale. Young women should join this field as there is a demand for females and it allows you flexible working hours, learning opportunities, and a thriving career.

How did you get involved with the GBD/IHME and how has it impacted the way you do your work?

I am part of the Health Data Science Center at Aga Khan University, Pakistan. The center’s Director, Dr. Zainab Samad, is an ambitious woman and a huge advocate of local capacity building. Before joining her team, I was using GBD estimates for evidence strengthening in my research work. I never thought to be involved in generating Pakistan estimates. However, Dr. Samad closely worked with the GBD team, arranged multiple GBD trainings, and initiated a joint AKU and IHME fellowship program. For the past year, I am working as a fellow with a data modeling team and researchers at IHME to generate Pakistan’s estimates for various diseases. The fellowship journey has been a learning curve. A deeper understanding of Pakistan’s data made me aware of the serious limitation of evidence from the country, and GBD experience equipped me to think of innovative ways to fill the data gaps.

Can you share any ongoing projects or research you’re involved in that you are particularly proud of?

I was recently awarded a Wellcome Trust grant. The grant is special for various reasons. It was the first time that a Wellcome Discovery Scheme grant was awarded to a Pakistani scientist. The work is focused on the built food environment and its effect on dietary habits and the cardiometabolic health of adolescents and young adults. The project will be conducted in Karachi, which inhabits 20 million people, and 10 million are younger than 25 years of age! We are dangerously obsessed with eating out. It is the most flourishing business in the city and the only entertainment Karachi has. I am very excited as it is a challenging project and will have a huge impact.

How do you see the future of health metrics science evolving with more women in leadership roles?

Health metrics or otherwise have been considered a man’s profession. However, it is changing rapidly across the world. In our Health Data Science Center, we have brilliant women with doctorate degrees in relevant disciplines, and the center is led by a woman (Dr. Zainab Samad). The biggest benefit will be highlighting the unavailability of female data for a range of diseases that are now the leading causes of mortality in women. The focus will be women’s health in general and not only reproductive health. Overall, it is an exciting time for women in Pakistan and other similar places to make their mark in STEM and health metrics. It will also accelerate women’s empowerment as more women will join STEM following their female role models. 

What policies or initiatives do you think are necessary to support women in health metrics science?

Empathy and women-friendly policies in organizations are needed to retain women in health metrics science. In Pakistan, women still face a lack of support for childcare, breastfeeding at workplaces, or empathy when they have difficult times in their personal lives. Health metrics science needs highly intellectual work and concentration. You can only expect this if an individual is not struggling with their other essential responsibilities.

Can you share any success stories of significant impact in policy due to your research/policy work?

I was part of a collaborative project on pre-eclampsia. It was a cluster randomized trial in rural areas of Pakistan. The community health workers (called Lady Health Workers) were provided with a digital blood pressure (BP) apparatus and digital guide for the referral. Before this project, these workers had not received the training for BP measurement and did not have the equipment. The workers were happy to learn the basic skill and extended it to help non-pregnant women and men in their community with high blood pressure. It demonstrated to the government that training these women for BP measurement would be an investment with high dividends.

How can we better recognize and celebrate the achievements of women in this field?

I think events like this one give a platform to collectively celebrate the success of women in health metrics science. It is important to recognize women’s achievements as a group to change the perception that women’s success is just “one exceptional case.”